Natural Detox: Why Our Kids Need It So Badly
What is Natural Detox?
Our bodies have detoxifying mechanisms and processes that are working all the time to keep us functioning well. The liver, lymphatic system, adrenal glands, and colon (to name a few) are constantly working to filter out toxins and built-up waste. This is by design.
Think of this filtering and waste system as a garbage collector. On a regular basis, and often behind the scenes, the garbage man comes to collect the waste that has built up. However, have you had a time when the garbage man didn’t come or got lazy with how he picked it up? Or you had so much “build up” that it overflowed into your beautiful yard?
Detoxification breakdown can happen in our bodies (and with our kids) as well.
Serious problems can occur when either:
- A) Our organs and cells are not getting the nutrition they need to function well (they get lazy in their waste management)
- B) When there is a toxic overload in our system, and our body just can’t keep up.
“We are conducting a vast toxicologic experiment in our society, in which our children and our children’s children are the experimental subjects.” ~ pediatrician Herbert L. Needleman
What Makes Our Kids So Vulnerable?
We live in a very toxic world. The sheer number of chemicals in our environment today is enough to warrant a parent’s concern.
Did You Know..?
- Of the 80,000 chemicals registered with the EPA, less than 20% are tested for toxicity. (U.S. EPA, New Chemicals Program; Landrigan, P.J., et al, (2006).)
- According to the EPA, organic pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher inside our homes than outside.
- More than 90% of poison exposures occur in the home. (National Center for Injury Prevention & Control)
This over-exposure to toxins is then compounded by how our kids’ bodies metabolize and develop. These developmental facts cause our kids to be even more vulnerable than we are as adults and increase their need for natural detox support:
- Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, breathe more air, and eat more food than adults.
- Children’s metabolic pathways are immature, especially in the first few months after birth. Their ability to detoxify these chemicals is different from adults.
- Children have faster metabolisms. Dr. Philip Landrigan states that, “Children absorb a greater proportion of many substances from the intestinal tract or lung. For example, children take up approximately half of the lead that they swallow while adults absorb only about one-tenth.” (PDB.org, Trade Secrets: A Moyers Report, 2001).
“A Toxic Brew”, video documentary
Additional Resources
Data Related to Typical Household Cleaners (PDF file)–An in-depth resource on how typical household cleaners are affecting the health of our kids. If you have children in your home, this is a must-read so you can know better how to protect your kids.
9 Comments
Natasha Eaker · November 5, 2013 at 6:05 pm
I was just wondering on what is the best thing to use on children from the ages of 2 – 7 to detox from mold. My family have specific genes that don’t let the liver fight off the toxin because our bodies are not recognizing it as being bad for us. I have the medicine the doctor gave to us but its nasty and getting my two to drink it is impossible. I have been searching online and found dandelion as being a good natural way to detox our bodies. I am wondering on what other ways are possible. I have the dandelion pills they 520 mg how much of that can I give my kids. I have 2 two yr olds a 6 year old and a 7 year old.
Bonnie | ProvenNutritionForKids · November 7, 2013 at 8:59 am
Hi Natasha,
You have a great question. A natural detox program for kids has three main components to it–environmental, diet, and smart supplementation. It is not easy to change all these things at once; it is best to take it in stages, starting with the piece that gives the most immediate results first–the smart supplementation.
Dandelion extract is indeed helpful to the liver when it is processed correctly, but it is only a small piece of what the liver needs for support and proper function. Quality and safety are crucial when using supplements with kids (and for ourselves). If you would like more details on what a detox program for your specific children could look like and how it can fit into your budget, you can fill out our Kids Symptom Assessment and then follow that up with a Health Coaching Call. No risk on either of these, and if you decide to use our program, we’ll refund the total cost of your Health Coaching Call. This way you get the one-on-one help you need, we walk you through the steps, trouble-shoot or tweak along the way, and you get to see great results!
Lissa · May 25, 2014 at 9:03 am
I was wondering what the best way to detox a child that has recently had many X rays and medications?
Im looking for foot soaking; or detox baths?
Bonnie | ProvenNutritionForKids · May 31, 2014 at 7:26 pm
I am not familiar with foot soaking, and I know of a detox bath, though not necessarily recommended for kids. Certainly not necessary in your case, Lissa. There is a great natural milk thistle seed product called Liver DTX that I would personally use first. Depending on your child’s age, you can adjust the dosage and see how they do. This is a natural herbal remedy that we use in our home, and I would think it would work well in your situation. I would also give your child plenty of water while taking it and increase their intake of fresh veggies and fruits. You can find this product here at our distributor link: http://livewell-livefree.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sku=20616
Chris · April 19, 2016 at 6:56 am
After doing research on detoxifying, I have found many great products to do so. However, before I worry about myself, i need to get my five year old in good health. She’s been to the doctor many times and we’ve only been told she’s constipated. This has been confirmed through x-ray as well. They prescribe a laxative (polyethylene glycol) that we’re supposed to mix in her drink every day and about once a week give her a large amount to clean her out. This just seems like a terrible process with no end and forcing her to drink all of this is heartbreaking. I hope I’m correct to think that a detox is in order here! What’s the best method to cleanse the digestive track of a young child? Thank you so much!
Bonnie | ProvenNutritionForKids · April 19, 2016 at 8:50 am
Hey Chris, thank you for your comment and question. I know it can be so heartbreaking to see our kids struggling–especially when it feels unnecessary. There are definitely more gentle–and effective–ways to help kids with constipation than a prescribed laxative as you mentioned. These are very hard on the system and never really address the root issue. We use very natural and gentle supplementation along with some diet changes to help kids. Together, these are very effective and pretty easy to implement. If you would like to see what could be effective with your daughter, our Kids Symptom Assessment is a great, affordable tool online that can give you guidance. You can access it here: http://provennutritionforkids.com/kids-symptom-assessment-fp/
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